UAB coach Jeannnie Milling's Lady Blazers will look to get on a run as they head into a break and then Conference USA play as they host the Lady Blazer Invitational Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16 and 17.

UAB will face Florida A&M in the first game, Saturday at 2 p.m. Troy State and Mississippi Valley State will play the second game beginning at 4:00. The losers will play in the consolation game, Sunday at 2:00 and the winners will play for the championship at 4:00.

UAB is coming off an 84-57 win over Jacksonville State. That was the first win of the year on the opponents' home floor.

These games, however, will be played in Bartow Arena. UAB has not lost in the arena in three games and already has a tournament title this season. The Lady Blazers defeated Kansas and Tennessee-Martin in the Lady Blazer Classic in November.

Following the tournament the Lady Blazers will not play again until Dec. 28 in an exhibition game. They begin C-USA play, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. against Memphis. Milling is hoping for a good performance in the tournament to get things going.

"We had a good game at Jacksonville and have had a good week of preparation. We now need to run off some wins in a row," Milling said.

Junior forward Deanna Jackson is second in the nation in scoring with 27.9 points per game. She is third nationally in rebounding, averaging 13.3 boards a contest.

Florida A&M is 6-2 on the year and is already 2-1 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. The Rattlerettes defeated Coppin State 79-66 in their last game on Dec. 8. They opened the season with a 79-65 loss to SMU. The only loss since then was an 84-67 decision to Morgan State.

As for the other teams, Troy State is 2-4 and Mississippi Valley 1-3. The Lady Trojans lost Wednesday night 81-71 at Alabama State. Thea Herring, a 6-foot-3 center is averaging 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Guard Latesha King has been the bright spot for Mississippi Valley, scoring 13.5 points per game.